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Harlem Heroes (story)
Harlem Heroes was one of the original stories to appear in 2000AD Prog 1. It was set in the year 2050. Synopsis Part One On their way from their victory in the preliminary round of the World Aeroball Championship, the Harlem Heroes road-liner's power-unit cut out, caused it to crash and killed all but four of the team. When Giant, Slim and Hairy visited the chronically injured Louis in hospital to say goodbye, he encouraged them to rebuild the squad so that they could win the championship in honour of their dead teammatesHarlem Heroes Part One, 2000AD Prog 1. Part TwoHarlem Heroes Part Two, 2000AD Prog 2 A veteran aeroball player interrupted the Heroes training and demonstrated that, with the latest medical advances, the hip injury which had forced him out of the game no longer held him back. The five visited the Sky-Slums, where they discovered a reckless kid whom Giant had to rescue when his illegal home-made jet-pack over-heated. Two Heroes who had transferred to another team requested a transfer back, completing the rebuilt squad. Part ThreeHarlem Heroes Part Three, 2000AD Prog 3 Finding out that the team they were playing against consisted of police, Zack broke formation. King managed to stop the Bulls from scoring, but at the cost of going to the penalty pen. Still hot-headed, Zack proceeded to gain a foul before crashing in to a TV camera boom. Part FourHarlem Heroes Part Four, 2000AD Prog 4 Hairy and Giant dove down to rescue Zack. While in the pits Baltimore scored as Giant had not called a time-out. Returning to the game, Zack was chastised by Giant and played better. During half-time Giant took a call from Louis which suggested that the crash was sabotage. Part FiveHarlem Heroes Part Five, 2000AD Prog 5 The Heroes managed to win in the second half. As they left the stadium Ulysses Cord approached them and gave them a superliner so that they could win the World Championship. Part SixHarlem Heroes Part Six, 2000AD Prog 6 While the Heroes travelled via the Trans-Atlantic Tunnel to Moscow they trained some new recruits in the gym. Louis has joined them in the medic-room, still convinced that the crash was sabotaged. When they arrived in Moscow they travelled over Red Square, seeing thousands of Russians out to greet them on their way to the aeroball stadium. They quickly realise that the Wolves do not care about their own safety in the game. Part SevenHarlem Heroes Part Seven, 2000AD Prog 7 After a few Wolves seriously injured themselves trying to stop them, the Heroes equalised, but then Giant found his jetpack malfunction. He ejected it at a great height and was left falling. Part EightHarlem Heroes Part Eight, 2000AD Prog 8 Giant, his fall broken by a Wolf, was caught by Slim. Winning the game, the Heroes returned to the States. Meanwhile, surgeons had finished operating on Gruber, bringing him back as a cyborg. Part NineHarlem Heroes Part Nine, 2000AD Prog 9 Cord had a million dollar side-bet with Teegarten that the Heroes would win their next league game. Gruber, positioned high among the cliff-dwellers prepared to shoot Giant. Part TenHarlem Heroes Part Ten, 2000AD Prog 10 Gruber's blast hits Giant's opponent, though grazes his cheek too. Zanies spotted Gruber the next time he tried to take a shot, his handler told him to make for the Mashers' pits. Part ElevenHarlem Heroes Part Eleven, 2000AD Prog 11 Having found a jetpack, Gruber took to the air. Sammy is injured, forcing him out of aeroball. Despite a thousand-dollar bonus the Mashers are outflown by the angered Heroes. Part TwelveHarlem Heroes Part Twelve, 2000AD Prog 12 The Heroes started their match against the Scotsmen. Part ThirteenHarlem Heroes Part Thirteen, 2000AD Prog 13 The Heroes did not fair well against the Scotsmen. Part FourteenHarlem Heroes Part Fourteen, 2000AD Prog 14 Six points down at half-time (which no team had ever recovered from), the Heroes equalised after a pep talk from Louis. Part FifteenHarlem Heroes Part Fifteen, 2000AD Prog 15 Zack won a sudden death play off against Red, winning and gaining Red's respect. Part SixteenHarlem Heroes Part Sixteen, 2000AD Prog 16 Gruber killed the Gargoyle squad-leader, taking his place. Part SeventeenHarlem Heroes Part Seventeen, 2000AD Prog 17 The Gargoyle match began. Part Eighteen Gruber's first attempt on Giant hits team-mate Floyd instead. His second attempt kills Chico. As the game resumed, Gruber attached a limpet mine to the ball and threw it towards GiantHarlem Heroes Part Eighteen, 2000AD Prog 18. Part NineteenHarlem Heroes Part Nineteen, 2000AD Prog 19 Giant let the ball go to a sub, who was immediately killed by the bomb. The Heroes started to play dirty, eventually fighting among themselves, in public. Part TwentyHarlem Heroes Part Twenty, 2000AD Prog 20 Louis intervened, now mobilised by a self-propulsion unit. Giant and King uncovered the identity of Gruber. Exposed, Gruber revealed a grenade. Part Twenty OneHarlem Heroes Part Twenty One, 2000AD Prog 21 Zack threw the ball at Gruber's face and caused him to drop the grenade. The Gargoyle's held Gruber and attempted to kill him, destroying themselves in the process. Gruber was reactivated by a cardiac boost as he headed to the crematorium, escaping where he was picked up by an ambulance. Part Twenty TwoHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Two, 2000AD Prog 22 The Heroes went to Tokyo, Cord tried to convince them to play more violently and the Heroes started their match against the Blades. Part Twenty ThreeHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Three, 2000AD Prog 23 One Blade sacrificed his place in the game to block a 120-mile-an-hour power-throw from Giant. Another Blade sacrificed his life so the team could bring on their substitutes. Cord tried to convince the Heroes to take more risks, but Louis intimidated him. Part Twenty FourHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Four, 2000AD Prog 24 Louis had reproduced a recent incident involving Gruber merely by thinking about it and caused Cord to faint. The Heroes feign fear to put the Blades off-guard. Part Twenty FiveHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Five, 2000AD Prog 25 After their jet-packs went missing from the Heroes stadium, Cord replaced them. Part Twenty SixHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Six, 2000AD Prog 26 Many Heroes were put in the pits by the Titans. Cord is afraid Giant's jetpack was going to explode when it started smoking. Part Twenty SevenHarlem Heroes Part Twenty Seven, 2000AD Prog 27 Giant forced a confession from Cord, who thought the Heroes were making the game too fair and wanted more violence to improve viewing figures. In the last throw of the match, Hairy and King were killed, though Zack rebound the ball and won the championship for the Heroes. Characters *Giant Clay *Slim *Hairy *Louis Meyer *Conrad King *Zack Harper *Chico Travis *Sammy *Lannigan *Ulysses Cord *Artie Nelson *Boris Woroslov *Tucker *Artie Gruber *Cyrus Teegarten *Benny Gray *'Red' MacArdle *Buck, Hero *Andy, Scotsman *Joe 'Ugly' Mugglie *Pretty Boy Floyd *Beauty-Pack Benson *Dale Parker, Heroes sub *'Toots' Tomlinson, Gargoyle *Mr Gorgon *Hojo, Blade *Tanaka, Blade *Karl, Titan *Sam Mason, Hero sub *Joe James, Hero sub Technology *XJ9 Power Pack *road-liner *XJ9 Helmet *XJ9 Power Belt *Holophone *Superliner *Tacto-Mat *Autodoctor *Synthetic grass-fibre lawn *Kwik-heal spray *Nu-skin *jet-board *(plastic) nu-faces *Magnum grenade *Hammerhead jet Culture *Bolshoi Ballet *London Synthesiser Orchestra *CCCP Sports *Aeroball Events *World Aeroball Championship Entities *GTV *Trans-World Networks *Juggernaut Trucking Corp *Oceanic Industries *Mills Moving *Transatlantic Trucks *TWR *Acme *World Aeroball Association *Ancient Order of Aztecs (Zanies) Aeroball Teams *Harlem Heroes *Greek City Gladiators *Baltimore Bulls *Seattle Swifts *Siberian Wolves *Montezuma's Mashers *Washington Warlocks *Flying Scotsmen *Gorgon's Gargoyles *Bushido Blades *Teutonic Titans Locations *Mega-City One **Harlem Aero-Drome **Sky-Slums of Harlem ***Street Level Nine *Museum of Sport *Transatlantic Tunnel **Atlantic Hilton *Moscow **The Palace of Aeroball (КОСМОСЕ СТАВЧМ / Cosmic Stadium) *Scotland (mentioned) **Aberdeen (mentioned) **Glasgow (mentioned) **Edinburgh (mentioned) *Tokyo **Palace of Sport *Berlin (mentioned) *Euro-Stadium References Category:Future sports Category:Harlem Heroes Category:Harlem Heroes stories